Gigs For Everyone: Best Freelance Job Sites

Gigs galore and a whole lot more available to the ambitious entrepreneur who wants it. The gig economy is rapidly growing throughout the world, including in the United States. Gigs are jobs or work people do to make extra cash to pay off bills or to free themselves from the dreaded J-O-B.

These gigs make them less dependent on full-time job and give them more freedom. These gigs usually are side-hustle jobs, freelance design or writing jobs, or a multitude of other opportunities based on their own professional abilities.

Gigs Defined

Before we get into finding gigs to make you money, let’s define exactly what a gig is in today’s economy. Simply put, gig jobs are projects that freelancers complete for companies, usually for relatively small amounts of money.

Most of these projects only take a few hours to complete. Many times, gigs are smaller projects that the contracting business does not have the manpower or the skilled expertise for, but it could be much more that that. It might require IT experience, creative design skills or management skills to oversee a complex business project. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of different gig job possibilities

Put More Money In Your Pocket

If you are reading this article, you are probably like millions of other people around the world who are looking to supplement or replace their income. For some people, they are looking to pick up a little extra cash without having to commit to an employer or a set schedule. While other individuals are looking to create a new lifestyle by becoming a full-time freelancer. They want to use their talents and skills, but they don’t want to be tied down to a corporate job that takes away a lot of their freedom. They use freelance jobs as a means to transition into different lifestyle so they can focus on more rewarding or more profitable work.

In today’s growing gig economy, having multiple streams of income has become the norm. The days of relying on income from one job has become almost non-existence for the millennials and other who may have been downsized. One of the great things about gig or freelance jobs is you get to check out what the best path for you is without making a major commitment some corporation. In other words, you will test the waters on your terms and probably make more money per hour if you take on the right gigs.

Where Do I Find The Best Gigs For My Skills?

There are many gig job sites available today. Some are becoming more familiar as they have become more aggressive in marketing themselves on network TV and across many internet channels. Some of the bigger names are Freelancer.com, Upwork.com, Guru.com, Fiverr.com and many others. We will take a look closer look at each one of the websites I just mentioned.

There are plenty of options with the various platforms. Some offer better opportunities for more experienced freelancers. While other sites are best suited for those individuals just getting started in the freelance world. We will help you determine which site is the right one for you to use.

How Freelance Site Work

In the last fifteen years, there has been a significant number of new freelance sites emerge in this growing industry. Most of them work in a very similar fashion. Basically, each freelance site has two distinct sides. One side is for businesses that need to hire the freelance help. The other side is for individuals or freelancers who have services to offer the businesses. 

The vast majority of gig sites has the freelancer create a profile where they list their specific skills, experience, and the rates they charge for services. Using the detailed profile completed by the freelancer, the platform tries to match these users with businesses who have projects that match up with that person’s skills.  

In most cases, all parts of the transaction between the user and the business is handled right on the platform. Moreover, when a user finds a gig they want to pursue, they first submit a proposal, then negotiate the terms of the deal, and accept the job on the site. Additionally, most of these sites will submit the invoices on behalf of the user. Just as important, they will also receive the payments from the contracting company and pay the freelancer to make sure everything is handled properly according to the terms of the initial agreement.  This helps to avoid any conflicts after the work is done.

Setting Up Your Profile On The Site Is Free

As I shared with you earlier, almost all gig sites let you set up a profile for free. They also allow you to advertise your services without a charge. These sites make their money by taking a percentage of the money you charge for your services.

However, the percentage they charge freelancers vary based on the size of the total amount being billed by the freelancer. Each site is different, but the percentage they charge is somewhere between 5% to 20%. The lower percentage is usually what they charge freelancers who have larger invoices for their clients.  

There are some gig sites that have different pricing models for their freelancers so I want to touch on those too. Some sites let their users keep all of the money they earn, but they mark-up the price to the business buying the service. For instance, if the freelancer charges the buyer $100, the host platform may mark-up the price by 10% to the buyer so their final price would be $110 plus any taxes.

Membership Sites Offer Promotional Opportunities

There are some sites that offer various membership levels for the freelancer that gives them multiple ways to promote their profiles on the site so they can get more gigs on a consistent basis. From what I have seen, the pricing for these memberships run somewhere between $12 to $50 per month. However, the prices will vary based on what promotional opportunities are offered to boost the profile.

I always remind freelancers that you are an entrepreneur so you must promote your business. Sometimes, the things that are free or low-cost are not the best value. A membership program may help you to separate yourself from the competition and make the most money. The only way you can grow your freelance business is to invest in yourself!

How Much Can You Make From Freelance Gigs?

Well, it depends on many factors. Don’t you love that vague, uncertain answer?

The reality is there are a lot of factors that go into determining how much one can make from freelance gigs. So let’s look at some of the variables that weigh in to how much you can make. Firstly, I want to answer your question about how much you can make by saying, if you are a hard working, disciplined freelancer you can make anywhere between $500 and $8000 per month (and possibly more). Wow! That is a huge range, Right?

That is where all the factors come into play. Let’s jump into some of the variables:

Skill Level

If you have limited professional skills, you may be doing a lot of non-technical, relatively easy jobs, like running errands, food delivery or other menial tasks. These gigs paying much less than one that requires writing or creative skills to develop a website, book or other brand-building resource for a company.

Time Commitment

Freelancers who are developing a 20-page website with many features will need to spend much more time to do this project right versus someone who need to deliver a food order across town. The pay is going to be considerably less to the delivery person because it may on take an hour or so to complete that task.

Professional Training & Expertise

For instance, a professional writer that has been contracted to write a 300-page technical manual or book will most likely have many years of on-the-job work and training, advanced education and a high level of expertise in their field. As you may expect, this writer will receive premium pay by their contracting company. Whereas, someone who is writing a 500-word article about the Best restaurants in Bolivia will receive less compensation.

I am sure by now you are seeing why the amount of money you can make from freelance gigs is so different. No matter what skill level you are or what your experience is you can make a significant amount of money in the gig economy if you are willing to put in enough time and effort to building your freelance career.

One of the primary reasons most freelancers choose to pursue this career path versus a corporate career is so they can focus on the work they love and enjoy a freer lifestyle. If you are doing what you love and you are following your passion then you can earn a very good living.

Where Can You Find These Opportunities?

If you have decided the freelance lifestyle is right for you then you need to seek out the jobs that meet your criteria. You can start by checking out the many gig websites available today. I am going to help you find the best sites and give you an overview of each. If you are looking for consistent work where you can showcase your skills and abilities then this will guide you in the right direction.

All the gig sites listed below do some sort of vetting of both the buyer and seller to try to eliminate any shady characters who may be looking to take advantage of people. They want to make everyone gets what they want from this business relationship. Businesses want quality work at a fair price. Most importantly, freelancers want fair pay for their work. In addition, freelancers want a marketplace where they build up their portfolio and reputation so they can get steady, good-paying work.

Best Of The Best Gig Sites

As I stated earlier, there are dozens of gig sites that you can find jobs so I wanted help you figure out which ones are best for your talents and skill level. I only wanted to look at the sites that have high ratings by their users. We wanted them to be large enough to have plenty of companies looking to hire people and lots of freelancers available to complete the jobs.

I wanted them to have a state-of-the-art platform where everything could be done in one place. For instance, you want the buyer and seller to be able to communicate, negotiate, make payments, deliver resources and products right through the website. While there are variations with each platform, the ones that made our list all offered basically the same resources.

If you are looking to find your next side-hustle or build your freelance career, then I want to help. Here are some important facts that are working in your favor. More businesses in the USA and throughout the world are moving toward the gig model. This is primarily because of more flexible working conditions. Millennials and younger generations are almost demanding this flexibility in their lifestyle. The pandemic has brought about a lot of change too. So now we are seeing a rising number of gig workers who are in their 40s, 50s and beyond.

The Gig Economy Is Growing Exponentially

One study indicates that by 2023, over half of the U.S. workforce will either be gig workers or will have worked independently at some point in their career. Additionally, nearly half of all millennials use gig job platforms, like Freelancer.com, Upwork.com and others, to find work or engage in business with clients.

In another study, it says that in the United States the freelance or gig economy is growing three times faster than the traditional workforce. Three times faster! That blows my mind, but it tells you that people are tired of trying to climb the corporate ladder only to have it knocked out from under you. This gig economy used to be a secondary employment model, but now it is becoming more of the norm.

There are many reason for this expansion of the gig economy. In many cases, it is because companies can get freelancers to do the work of a full-time employee for a lot less. Younger people love having more freedom than working for big corporate entity. If they hustle and work hard, they can make great money and enjoy working with a lot less stress.

Even so, there are some trade offs that the gig worker makes that creates some problems. By relying on individual gigs, workers do enjoy a flexible lifestyle. Unfortunately, if you are not disciplined to work hard and seek a constant flow of work you will lose your financial security that a corporate job affords you.

Gigs Can Be Found On Specialized Sites

The number of online platforms that offer gigs with good earning potential are growing consistently. The pandemic has shown that companies don’t need the physical presence of their workers in the workplace. With that proof in hand, corporations and individuals are blazing new territory in this rising gig economy. It is now easier than ever to work for multiple employers at the same time.

Personally, I am loving this new gig economy because it allows ambitious, hard-working people, like me, to make more money than ever without a corporate giant holding you down. Plus, as an entrepreneur who needs great freelancers to help me grow my business, I have an enormous pool of affordable talent to tap into at any time.  

Where do you go to find gigs or freelancers? There are several excellent gig economy platforms that are great resources for those looking for work and those needing reliable freelancers. While there are dozens of these sites out there, we believe the ones below are the best available now.

Freelancer.com

Let’s begin with a company that was started in 2009 and has risen to become the world’s largest freelancing and crowdsourcing marketplace, Freelancer.com. Their impact on the freelance market has been astounding. For instance, Freelancer has connected nearly 55 million employers and freelancers from over 250 countries.

Freelancer organizes projects by various categories, including websites, writing, graphic design, illustration, SEO, 3D modeling, WordPress, product design, and more. That is just the beginning, through the Freelancer.com marketplace, employers of all sizes also hire freelancers to do work in areas such as software development, data entry, engineering, the sciences, sales and marketing, accounting and legal services. As freelancer, you can also browse local jobs, including teaching/lecturing, drafting, photography, and more.

Freelancer.com is free to join. Firstly, you start by creating a profile that details your special skills and experience. You will want to showcase your portfolio, set your fees and provide any other information that would be helpful to potential employers.

Complete your profile, then you can begin looking for promising gigs using a number of customizable filters, look at client ratings, histories. If you see a job you want then place bid on that and other projects. Everything between you, as the freelancer, and the employers happens on the platform. You will communicate with clients right through the platform. Additionally, you submit invoices, track time, and get paid through Freelancer’s Milestone Payments.  

Good Place For New Freelancers To Get Started

Unlike some of the other platforms I reviewed, anyone can open a Freelancer.com account without going through an approval process. Therefore, it is an excellent place for inexperienced freelancers to get started. It is perfect for new freelancers looking to build their portfolio by taking on easier, lower-paying gigs or for short-term low-priced hourly work. 

Setting up a profile on Freelancer.com is free, however they will take a percentage of your earnings you make through their platform. Below is a breakdown of the percentages they take based on how much you earn from Freelancer’s platform:

• For Fixed-Price Projects: They charge a 10% fee or $5, whichever is larger
• With Hourly Projects: Flat 10% fee for the project
• For All Services: 20% fee
• If you refer an employer to the platform: No fee for all future work with that client

Get Started With Freelancer Now

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Now Let’s Look At The Next One Our List

Upwork.com

Upwork.com is one of the largest freelance marketplaces in the world. It is trusted and used by millions of businesses of all sizes, including corporate giants like Bissell, Microsoft, Airbnb, GoDaddy and many more. Upwork.com started when Elance (founded in 1999) and oDesk (founded in 2003) merged.

Freelancers use Upwork to find work many different industries, including accounting, design, marketing, development, content writing, customer service, and countless others. They can find long-term contracts or, if they choose, they can get one-time gigs.

It is simple to start. As a freelancer, you create a free profile where you can provide details about yourself. As an example, you will want to include your experience, your portfolio, possibly some case studies, set your rates for the work you want to do, any special skills you offer, and post a personal video to help people to get to know you. 

Find Your Perfect Gig Match

Once your profile information is in the system, then Upwork’s AI-powered search goes to work. It filters through the many thousands of opportunities listed on Upwork to find the best matches for potential projects for you. As a freelancer, you will be able to review a client’s ratings, history, and project details before submitting a bid. In addition, Upwork also provides the opportunity for clients and freelancers to ask each other questions, negotiate rates and other project details on their platform.     

What I like about Upwork is that every contract and detail is managed through their website. For example, Key elements, like invoicing, time-tracking, file sharing, and messaging, are done on the Upwork website. Additionally, freelancers have options on how to get paid. You can choose to get through direct deposit, wire transfer, PayPal and other options.    

One of the big differences to consider between Freelancer and Upwork is that Upwork has a vetting and approval process that each person must go through. With Freelancer, anyone can open an account. Upwork’s vetting eliminates some of the competition, making it easier to find quality work versus Freelancer.

While you can create a profile on Upwork for free, they will take a percentage of your earnings you make through their platform. Below is a breakdown of the percentages they take based on how much you earn from Upwork:

• 20% of the first $500 billed to a client across all contracts with them
• 10% of total billings with a client between $500.01 and $10,000
• 5% of total billings with a client that exceed $10,000

Get Started With Upwork Now

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Guru.com

In 1998, entrepreneur Inder Guglani started Guru.com. Today it is one of the largest freelancing employment platforms in the world. Guru.com works with over 800,000 clients throughout the world. It has paid out over $250 million to freelancers. So it time for you to get some of that action! What we love about Guru.com is that they have a 99% client satisfaction rate.

That high satisfaction rate is probably because of the experienced freelancers that they work with on a consistent basis. Guru.com focuses in on experienced professionals rather than entry-level freelancers. As a new freelancer, this may not be a good fit for you. Later, after getting some experience, it may be perfect for you.

Like other gig work platforms, it is free to join their Guru.com community. Just go to their website to join and verify your details then begin building your profile. Be sure to describe your services in detail and showcase your portfolios so you stand out from the other freelancers.

I see far too many freelancers with weak profiles on these types of sites. By building a strong profile, you will attract more higher-paying gigs. And remember to use keywords to describe your services so these employers can find you easily. Guru.com makes it easy for you to identify and apply for the jobs that match your skills and services.

Freelancers Professionals Can Find Jobs And Gigs In Their Field Of Expertise

Guru.com places freelance professionals with projects in several different categories, including design and art, writing and translation, programming and development, administration and secretarial, sales and marketing, business and finance, engineering and architecture, education and training, and legal.

Once signed up, you can browse for freelance jobs on their site. Or you can use their Top Match and Good Match feature to get recommendations based on your skills. Once you find a job you are interested in, just submit a bid.  Soon you will know if you have won the job.  

Guru.com offers paid memberships to help users rank higher in the site’s search results. Below you will find the prices for these paid memberships and what you get for your monthly investment. Therefore, for the serious-minded freelancer, this is an excellent way to grow your business quickly.

Guru.com uses WorkRooms for you to work more efficiently and for collaboration with team members. As a Guru.com freelancer, you use their time tracker, share files, communicate with their team & employers all on their platform. Also, you will create agreements, invoices, choose payment terms and get paid all one their platform.  

Guru.com offers four secure payment options. You can use PayPal, Payoneer, wire transfer or Direct Deposit (for those living in the U.S.A.).

As I mentioned earlier, you can join the company and set up a profile for free. Additionally, Guru.com also offers paid memberships. These paid memberships help freelancers to reduce their job fees, bid for more jobs, increase their search results, and send messages to potential clients before placing a bid. Choose from these paid membership options:

Plans Available

Basic Plan

• Free
• 9% job fee
• 10 bids per month

Basic+ Plan

• $11.95 per month
• 9% job fee
• 50 bids per month
• $1,000 search boost

Professional Plan

• $21.95 per month
• 7% job fee
• 50 bids per month
• Annual bid rollover: 100 bids
• Premium bids: Costs 6 bids
• $2,000 search boost
• Sales messages: Costs 5 bids
• Add personal link to profile

Business Plan

• $33.95 per month
• 6% job fee
• 50 bids per month
• Annual bid rollover: 200 bids
• Premium bids: Costs 5 bids
• $4,000 search boost
• Sales messages: Costs 4 bids
• Add a personal link to profile

Executive Plan

• $49.95 per month
• 5% job fee
• 50 bids per month
• Annual bid rollover: 300 bids
• Premium bids: Costs 4 bids
• $8,000 search boost
• Sales messages: Costs 3 bids
• Add a personal link to profile

Get Started With Guru.com Now

Fiverr.com

When Micha Kaufman and Shai Wininger started Fiverr in 2010, they wanted a way for creative people to provide digital services usually offered by freelancers for as little as $5. You read that right! Companies get videos produced, articles written and other services for just five bucks.

Today, Fiverr offers over 100 different categories of services. There are over 100,000 users from over 160 countries that rely on Fiverr. Personally, I have used Fiverr many times and found some really great creative freelancers showcasing their talents. It is a excellent platform for creatives because it offers the opportunity for freelancers in many different digital creative fields to provide their services to a worldwide marketplace. 

To begin marketing your services on Fiverr, you need to create a free profile. On your profile, you will list all the services you can provide for clients, like digital marketing, graphics and design, writing, etc. Commonly referred to as “Gigs”. On Fiverr, sellers can include up to three separate packages to their Gig page. This allows you more opportunities to upsell clients that are already buying one of your services from you. Why not try to sell more to them at the time of their first purchase? Upselling is an excellent technique to grow you business quickly.

Post Specific Projects And Gigs You Excel At Doing

Many sellers on Fiverr offer very specific project work, including things like creating motivational videos for YouTube, podcast intros, book cover designs, social media banners, menu designs, illustrations for books and many more. By listing very specific services you can provide, you will be able to stand out in a competitive marketplace.

As a fee for their services, Fiverr keeps 20% of the overall project money. You, as the seller, keep 80% of the money earned from a project. After a seller completes a project and the client pays for the work, Fiverr puts a 14-day hold on the money. They do this in case a client is not happy with the work and asks for a refund. Once the 14-day waiting period is over, the seller can withdraw their money in one of three ways: (1)into a PayPal account, (2) by credit to their Fiverr Revenue Card, or (3) transfer money to a bank account. 

Get Started With Fiverr Now

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TaskRabbit.com

TaskRabbit.com helps busy people find trusted, local people, called Taskers, who can help with everything from putting new furniture together (think IKEA) to home repairs to running errands, like shopping. Most Taskers focus on doing the work they love and excel at in their chosen area. In addition, they choose a time that is convenient for them.

TaskRabbit.com is perfect for you if you like doing physical work. For instance, if you like moving furniture or yard work you can do in the evening or on the weekend. This side hustle won’t interfere with your regular 9-to-5 job. However, if you hate the idea of sweating to earn money, then you could help a busy or elderly person with their shopping or other light duty tasks.

TaskRabbit.com offers many odd jobs that are flexible. Many jobs are one-off gigs, while some are ongoing jobs that will give you a steady income. TaskRabbit.com has local jobs in dozens of cities throughout the United States. You can check their website to see if there are jobs available in your city.

Sound like your kind of gig? Yes. Start now. First, you register on the site and create a Tasker profile by providing basic information about yourself. You need to include information about your experience level for their task categories and your pay rates.

Requirements To Become A Tasker

For approval as a Tasker and start bidding on projects, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Be able to work in one TaskRabbit cities. You can see a full list of cities here
• Consent to an ID check. This keeps all their platform users safe.
• Have a checking account with a financial institution. This is how TaskRabbit.com will pay you.
• Have a smartphone. You will manage your tasks through the Tasker app.
• Provide valid U.S. Social Security number.
• In applicable cities, pay a one time, non-refundable $25 registration fee.
• In California only: Submit a business license confirming you are a sole proprietor. 

Once approved and onboarded, you will be notified of potential jobs in your requested work area by the TaskRabbit smartphone app. From the app, you can choose the jobs want to pursue, confirm the specifics with the client, complete the work, and submit your invoice.

The key to success with TaskRabbit is to get good reviews for the work. That will lead to more jobs from the same clients and others who see your excellent reviews. Many Taskers with good review get regular work and can make more with TaskRabbit.   

Get Started With TaskRabbit.com Now

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Toptal.com

Toptal.com is different than all the rest of the companies I have shared with you so far. What makes them unique compared to the others? Well their trademarked slogan says it all, “Hire the Top 3% of Freelance Talent®”

Companies who are looking for the absolute best freelancers use Toptal. They are looking for software developers, finance experts, designers, project managers, product managers and more. Above all, some of the world’s biggest companies hire freelancers for their most important projects.

Toptal’s name comes from the phrase, “Top Talent”. They strive to find and work with the best talent worldwide. In other words, if you are someone with extraordinary skills and experience this may be the optimum site for you.

Toptal Has The Most Rigorous Vetting Process

You have to be ready for their rigorous screening process. Needless to say, they want to identify the experts in their fields who have unparalleled passion and drive. Each month, Toptal accepts thousands of applications. However, less than 3% of them are accepted.

Toptal’s application process includes a comprehensive communication and English language evaluation. As a part of Toptal’s process, each candidate is given various test and problem solving projects. Additionally, they will go through detailed skills assessments, and creativity exercises. Now you can see why so few make it into their exclusive network.   

The good news is that if you make it through Toptal’s incredible vetting process, you will be in position to land some of the best and highest paying freelance jobs in the world. Accordingly, freelancers are not charged any fees for their service. Conversely, Toptal marks up the rates that freelancers charge its clients.

Toptal is an incredible place for your freelancer journey. You just have to be able to shine in your given field of expertise.

Get Started With TopTal.com Now

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In conclusion, this summary of gig platforms that cater to specific seller needs, such as skilled professionals, creatives, or those just looking to pick up the occasional odd job has been helpful. Ultimately, your success as a gig worker depends on finding the right clients who are willing to pay for your services over and over again.  Your determination, hard work, passion and commitment will help you achieve success in this new gig economy.